Washing-machine.



No. 707,242. Patented Aug. 19, i902. J.'M. LAWRENCE.'

WASHING MACHINE.

(Application med sept. 12, 1901.)

(No Model.)

' l l fr UNITED STATESy PATENT OFFICE.

JAMES M. LAWRENCE, OF COMMERCE, TEXAS.

WASHING-MACHINE.

- SPECIFICATION formingpart of Letters Patent No. 707,242, dated August 19, 1902.

Application led September 12,1901. Serial No. 75,217. (No model.)

`To all whom, t may concern:

Be it known that 1, JAMES M.- LAWRENCE.

a citizen of the United States, residing at fabrics rapidly and thoroughly without in` juring them.

The invention consists in the construction and novel combination and arrangement of parts hereinafter fully described, illustrated in the accompanying drawings, and pointed out in the claim hereto appended.

yss

In the drawings, Figure. 1 is a perspective view of a washing-machine constructed in accordance with this invention. Fig. 2 is a longitudinal sectional view of the same. Fig. 3 is a detail view of the crank-shaft.

Like numerals of referencedesignate corresponding parts in all the figures of the drawings.

1 designates a rotary table or support de.-V

signed to receive a tub 2 or other suitable receptacle and centrally pivoted to a bench or other suitable support and adapted to begro!V tated d urin g the operation of washin g to bring dierent portions of the clothes or other fabrics beneath a vertically-movable pounder t and to change the positionof the.v clothes,

whereby the same Will be thoroughly and uni? formly operated on by the washing-machine.

The rotary table or support 1, which is provided at its lower face with ratchet-teeth 5, has a cent-ral circular bearing portion 6 projecting below the teeth and supporting the same above the surface ofthe bench. The pivot 7 of the rotary table or support passes through a central opening of the same and.

through the bench, and it 'may consist of a bolt or any other suitable device, and any other form of bearing may be employed for supporting the rotary frame or table.

The vertically-movable pounder, which is preferably semicircular, as shown in Fig. 1,

may .be of any other desired construction,and it isprovided with a stem 8, adjustably secured by asuitable fastening device 9 in a slot'lO of an oscillatory lever 11, which is fulcrumed at one end on a transverse rod 12 and which isV provided at its other end with an upwardlyextending arm 13. The upwardly-extending arm 13 is pivoted in a bifurcation 14 of a connectingbar15,which extendsrearward to a central crank-16 of a transverse crankshaftl'. The rod 12, on which the central lever 11 visvfulcrum'ed, is supportedv by short vertical posts or standardsl', and spacingsleeves 17 are located at opposite sides of the central lever to hold thesame against lateral movement. The short posts 16 are connected by horizontal side rods 18 with rear uprights or standards 19, which are provided at their upper ends with suitable bearings 20 for the reception of the crank-shaft, and theseposts or standards, which are mounted on the bench,

form with the latter a supporting-frame upon which the washing mechanism is mounted. Thetransverse,crank-shaft,whichisarranged at the rear end of the supporting-frame, is provided at one side thereofwith an end crank 21, and it has a crank-handle 22 at the opposite end. .When the crank-shaft is rotated, the connecting-bar 15 is reciprocated, and the central lever 11 will be oscillated.

The lever 11,v which-isoscillatedby the con- 'nectingrod 15, raises and lowe-rs'the pounder by a side connecting 'bar or pitman 23 with the upper end of a side lever 24which is fulcrumed on the adjacent post 16. ,The side lever 24E, which is fulcrumed near its upper end by a pivot 2 5, has its upper end pivoted by a pin 26 in a slot or opening of the connecting bar or pitman 23, and the lower end of the side lever carries aweighted actuating pawl or dog 2S. The Weighted actuating pawl or dog 28 is pivoted byapin 29 to the lower end of the side lever, andthe front portion of the pawl or dog extends forward to the rotary table or support and is held by the weighted rear portion in engagement with the ratchet-teeth 5. When the lower arm of the side lever swings forward, the actuating pawl or dog engages the ratchet-teeth and partially rotates the table or support l, and when the lower arm of the side lever swings rearward the pawl or dog moves backward over the teeth without actuating the table or support l. By this construction the rotary table or support is gradually advanced, and the different portions of the clothes are successively brought beneath the semicircular pounder and are operated on by the same. The air and Water in the clothes lying beneath the pounder are expelled by the pounder, and the clothes are squeezed between the same and the bottom of the tub, and as the clothes are carried beyond the pounder they are permitted to soak and absorb Water and suds. On the upstroke of the pounder the water will rush back upon the compressed clothes and will soak the same and be again forced out of the clothes by the pounder. The clothes or other fabric will in this manner be thoroughly subjected to the action of the Washing-machine and will be uniformly washed. The segmental or semicircular pounder permits free access to onehalf of the contents of the tub and greatly facilitates the placing of clothes in the tub and the removal of the same therefrom. The pin 14 is removable and maybe quickly taken out to permit the lever 1l and the pounder 4 to be swung backward out of the tub. This will enable all of the clothes or other fabrics being washed to be quickly removed from the tub and access will be afforded to all parts of the tub for placing clothes therein.

The pawl or dog may be readily swung down ward out of engagementwith the ratchetteeth when it is desired to stop the rotary table or platform, and the weight of the said pawl or dog 28 will hold the same out of engagement, and by this operation the clothes in any portion of the tub or other receptacle may be continuously operated upon to the desired extent. The pawl 28 may be conveniently held temporarily out of engagement with the ratchet of the table or platform, or the lever 24 may be swung backward far enough to permit the engaging end of the pawl to pass it when the shaft 17 is removed from the open bearings 20, and the weight of the pawl will then hold it in such position out of engagement with the ratchet-teeth 5.

What I claim isn r l A washingmachine comprising a frame having open bearings, a rotary table mounted on the frame and provided at its lower face with teeth, an oscillatory lever arranged centrally of the frame and located above the rotary table, a pounder carried by the lever, a transverse crank-shaft removably arranged in the open bearings and connected with the said lever, an upright lever arranged at one side of the machine and fulcrumed between its ends, a connecting-bar extending from the upper arm of the upright lever to the crankshaft, and anctuating-pawl pivoted between its ends on the lower arm of the upright lever and wholly supported by the same, said pawl engaging the teeth of the table at one end and having its other arm Weighted, the weighted arm holding the pawl in its engaging position and being also adapted to hold the pawl out of engagement, substantially as described.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own I have hereto affixed my signature in the presence of two witnesses.

JAMES M. LAWRENCE. Vitn esses:

JOHN ON EIL, DAVE ABLowIcn. 

